There weren’t any classes today, but I was scheduled to go to school anyways. At lunch, instead of eating kyuushoku, or school provided lunch, I tagged along with a few teachers. We arrived at what looked like a country club.

“It’s a golf club,” the head English teacher said before we stepped into an expansive foyer flanked with a large jade piece and an impressive ivory piece. The teacher told me that the golf club had a good restaurant, so you didn’t need to play golf to eat there.

The food was great! They served us traditional Japanese food filled with tempura, sashimi, and soba in beautiful traditional dishes. I think one thing about Japanese food presentations and American food presentations is that color is more important in Japanese dishes.

My mother–a seasoned cook, former caterer, perpetual culinary student, and a registered dietitian–always toned down the colors. Even my cooking friends only keep two colors or sometimes three to make the meal more functional. With Japanese food, there’s a break from keeping with the same tone in presentation, and it’s not just in a piece of parsley.

Because of the way Japanese foods look, I normally have my camera phone on hand to capture the arrangement before they disappear.